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The study, “Beneficial effect of refined red palm oil on lipid peroxidation and monocyte tissue factor in HCV-related liver disease: a randomized controlled study," was published in Hepatobiliary & Pancreatic Diseases International. Sixty patients with mean age of 62 years old with Child A/B genotype 1 HCV-related cirrhosis with no history of alcoholic beverages consumption were recruited. The patients were randomly assigned to receive either 300 mg vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol acetate) or 15 g RPO supplementation for 8 weeks. Blood parameters such as circulating endotoxin, plasma endotoxin-inhibiting capacity, macrophage-colony stimulating factor (M-CSF), urinary isoprostane-F2α-III, and monocyte TF activity, erythrocyte malondialdehyde (MDA) were examined after the 2nd, 4th and 8th weeks. Liver ultrasound imaging was carried out to examine liver steatosis.

Both RPO and vitamin E tocopherol-supplemented groups did not demonstrate any change in level of endotoxin and plasma endotoxin-inhibiting capacity, but they led to significant reduction in erythrocyte malondialdehyde and urinary isoprostane- F2α-III when compared to baseline.

When comparing to vitamin E tocopherol-supplementation, the RPO-supplemented group showed significant improvement in oxidative stress via decrease in M-CSF level and monocyte TF activity following the 4th and 8th week of supplementation, respectively. Additionally, the RPO-supplemented group showed a tendency toward lowering erythrocyte the MDA level more significantly than the vitamin E tocopherol-supplemented group.

No changes were observed in liver ultrasound images for both the RPO and vitamin E groups.

“Oxidative stress plays a key role in the progression of chronic liver diseases," explained CheeYen Lau, nutritionist at ExcelVite. Serum M-CSF is mostly secreted inflammatory cytokine while monocyte TF activity is strongly associated with the production of endotoxemia among patients diagnosed with chronic liver failure. Both M-CSF and monocyte TF activity take part in pathophysiology of oxidative stress. The good news is consumption of RPO, with [its] wholesome array of tocotrienols, tocopherols and carotenoids helps in ameliorating chronic liver diseases with decreased level of plasma M-CSF and monocyte TF activity, as demonstrated in this study."